Guns, Germs and Steel is thought provoking and challenging
in the sense that it brings such easy concepts, like racial or geographical
domination, into context and complicates them bringing the reader to a whole
new main idea. According to Jared Diamond, the environment and geographic
differences among certain cultures brings them a step forward compared to
others, not racial differences or intelligence. He puts great importance on the
way agriculture helped Eurasian societies develop and survive throughout all
these years. Eurasian societies have developed and improved on a much faster
pace than other societies and Diamond relates this to the agricultural
evolution. With the help of their geographical place on the map, these
societies were abundant in animals they could tame and use for producing their
crop products and nutrients. This brought with it, specialization of labor,
sufficient and healthy food, trading and commerce for Eurasian societies.
Sufficient and healthy food brought together with it the advantage of
overcoming certain diseases and illnesses. With the proper nutrition, the
immune system of the society has improved compared to other societies with
poorer nutrition. Trading and commerce between people and societies has made
Eurasians richer in social intelligence and actual wealth. Therefore, they are
a product of opportunity, not of genetics or intelligence.
I think that Diamond comes to very realistic conclusions in
his book but he basis his results on facts without knowing if they are real
facts. Biology versus environment, nature versus nurture becomes an issue in
this book too. Although Diamond is a fan of nurture and the environment, there
is definitely biology involved in the evolution and development of human
civilizations, specifically Eurasians.
I also concluded from the reading that diamond suggests “Trading and Commerce between people and societies has made Eurasians richer in social intelligence and actual wealth. Therefore they are a product of actual opportunity, not genetics or intelligence”, but I think Diamond fails to address where this trading and commerce came from? The natural resources in Europe may be slightly different from those of the American continent, but there is definitely not a lack of resources in America. Trade could have flourished here, with the vast amount of supplies including wood, stone, wildlife, and gold, which helped make Europe the power cluster it was.
ReplyDeleteThe opportunity mentioned therefore, seems to have been the same, if not slightly advantaged on the part of the Native Americans, to me. Although different markets and sorts of commerce trade may have developed due to the different resources in America, there is no explanation why they didn’t to the same extent as in Europe. Diamond comments very little on the cultural differences that may have accounted for the different progressions between these two groups.